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[[underlined]] Whipple Observatory Headquarters [[/underlined]]

The Secretary reported that the Smithsonian is seeking to purchase two acres of land from the Tupac School District in Santa Cruz County, Arizona, and two acres of adjacent land from private owners for a total price not exceeding $150,000. The four acres will be used for the permanent headquarters of the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory which has occupied the property under a lease arrangement for the past thirteen years.

Research activities of the Whipple Observatory are conducted on a 4,744 acre site at the 7,600-foot level of Mount Hopkins which is leased from the U. S. Forest Service and reached by a limited-access secondary road that originates at the headquarters location in Amado, Arizona.

The headquarters is midway between the cities of Tucson to the north and Nogales to the south and offers easy access from a nearby interstate highway for visitors and for the delivery of research equipment and supplies. On the property is a one-level school building and a residence which have been converted to office use. There are also various automotive service, repair, and storage buildings with gravel parking and driveway areas, as well as space for a motor pool which provides daily access to the mountain site, continual road maintenance, and winter snow removal.

The school building serves as the base office and staging area for mountain research activities, and includes a small, informal Visitors' Center which has been remodeled to include displays on the history of astronomy and audio-visual presentations describing Smithsonian research.